Buried Feelings
by evieva
Summary: Syo has recently experienced the blossoming's of love for his best friend, Natsuki, and he's hating every minute of it-but someone comes to his aid in one of his most desperate moments, and they hatch a plan to help release Syo's buried feelings for Natsuki in the best way that they know how. Natsuki x Syo Semi-Haruka x Otoya
1. Buried Feelings: Chapter 1

There was once a time when Syo knew where he stood as far has his best friend Natsuki went. He knew he shared a dorm-room with separate beds with Natsuki. He knew every Thursday, he and Natsuki would go out for lunch, and Natsuki would order chocolate milk, and he'd offer Syo some. To which Syo would oblige, and they'd enjoy the last of it together until it was gone. He knew he loved Haruka Nanami, a brilliant composer, and competed for her with his best friend. That time was a good time. But now it's once upon a time.

Now, Syo wasn't sure where he stood as far as Natsuki went. His uncertainty started when he looked at his best friend one day, and noticed, for the first time, the cute little dimples that appeared when Natsuki smiled. Or the way his touch would shoot lightning into Syo tiny body. Or the butterflies Natsuki's presence alone would cause in Syo's stomach. Or how Syo longed for Natsuki to join him, some nights, in his bed, where they could share secrets and intimate kisses. It was almost unbearable, and strikingly foreign, this feeling with whom which Natsuki was only responsible.

It dawned on Syo one day, that maybe, just maybe, he loved Natsuki—that all those butterflies, and tingles, and longings that he caused was the blossoming of love. And Syo didn't want any of that. The 'love' that Syo felt made him irritable—snappy; and he tended to lash out toward Natsuki, and sigh whenever Natsuki would hug him, and jerk away whenever Natsuki touched him. Of course, Natsuki didn't think anything of it. Or, he didn't seem to. Natsuki remained his grabby, touchy, and all together lovey-dovey self—which didn't help Syo in the slightest.

"Syo-chan, are you alright?" Natsuki's voice blared through Syo's thought like a lighthouse on a foggy night. Natsuki's face seemed troubled, but only a little.

"Er," Syo blinked rapidly to clear his daze. He turned his gaze away from his best friends face, not realizing he had been staring at it—again. "I-it's nothing."

Natsuki smiled a bit, replying with a small 'okay'. They were waiting for their order on a fine Thursday, down at their favorite café. Natsuki had taken out his Piyo-chan figurine and was admiring it. Syo had bought it for him down at the Piyo festival they had just returned from an hour ago, and he was ever so pleased with his new tiny friend. This brought a little light into Syo's dim and confused life for, although Natsuki himself caused most of Syo's problems, Natsuki always had a knack for making them a little better.

"Your order," Their waiter appeared next to Syo, making him jump slightly. He set down their food, and drinks, and something hit Syo—Natsuki was going to offer to share his chocolate milk—which would mean, Natsuki's lips would touch the straw first, which would, in turn, mean an indirect touching of both their lips. Syo would have to keep it together, or he would be found out, and risk ruining their entire relationship altogether. As far as he knew, Natsuki didn't feel the same way he did. Although Natsuki's actions toward Syo say so, Syo would rather keep it a secret unless he knew for sure.

"Syo-chan, aren't you eating?" Natsuki asked. During his thoughts, Syo had been mindlessly playing with his food, not feeling hungry at all. That's the problem with love sickness, there was only one cure for it—and Syo's was sitting right in front of him sipping from a straw they were about to share.

"I guess I'm not that hungry." Syo said, looking at his yakisoba noodles.

"I knew it! So there is something wrong, huh, Syo-chan?" Natsuki pointed his fork at him. Syo glanced up in surprise. Does he know? The only other person aware of his situation was Nanami, and she wouldn't've told Natsuki about it.

"The first sign Syo-chan is upset—he denies it." Natsuki held a finger up, knowledgably. "Second sign Syo-chan is upset—he doesn't eat."

Crap. Was he really that easy to read?

"No, really, I'm fine!" Syo said, smiling awkwardly. He started to shovel noodles into his mouth. "See? Eating! I'm totally un-upset!"

Natsuki almost didn't seem convinced, but gave a huge smile a second later. He reached across the table and grabbed Syo, pulling him into a crushing embrace.

"Yay! I'm so glad my little Syo-chan's okay!" Natsuki cried. Syo started to get extremely flustered, yelling out 'let go's and 'stop it's left and right. Syo began to notice people staring, and giggling at them.

"What a cute couple!" Syo heard someone say. This made his entire head burn to the point that it was aching from so much blood in his cheeks.

"Natsuki! Stop!" With one final push, Syo got Natsuki off of him and back in his seat across the table. "Honestly! Y-you gotta stop doing that…"

When Syo looked up, Natsuki looked hurt. Syo's eyes widened. Had he made Natsuki feel bad?

"H-hey, I didn't—mean it like that—I just—uh…" Syo wasn't sure what to say. He never expected Natsuki to react like this. But to his surprise, Natsuki smiled, dimples Syo had grown so fond of dotting the corners of his lips.

"There's no need to apologize." He said, laying his chin down on the table next to his Piyo figure. He proceeded to poke at the figurine, saying, "I just want you to be happy, that's all. I've noticed you've been acting strangely around me, and I don't know why."

This made Syo breathe a small sigh of relief. He didn't know after all. But Natsuki was still a little upset, so that didn't go over well in the pit of Syo's stomach. He felt guilty for keeping Natsuki in the dark and always pushing him away because he was afraid. But how could he tell him without knowing for certain that Natsuki felt the same way that he did?

"Natsuki," Syo stood from the table, causing Natsuki to look up at him. "You shouldn't worry so much. Everything's fine. Listen, I'll go pay, and we can get outta here, alright?"

"Wait a second, Syo-chan!" Natsuki grabbed Syo's hand, making it burst with electric surges. Syo looked back at Natsuki, who was holding his glass of chocolate milk up. "We didn't finish this!"

"Oh," Syo cleared his throat, which had suddenly become very dry. "Yeah, sorry."

Syo sat down and took the milk. He glanced up at Natsuki, who was smiling encouragingly at him. There was no way to back out of it. Syo looked at the straw, remembering Natsuki's beautiful lips on the very tip of it. C'mon, you can do it, just pretend like it's your straw, don't be a baby.

After a few painful heartbeats, Syo moved the straw away from his face, and sipped from the glass instead. He drank half of what was left of it, then passed it to Natsuki, who looked confused.

"Be right back," Syo said quickly, wiping his lips. He proceeded to go pay for their meal, leaving Natsuki at their table outside, looking down at the cup of chocolate milk, almost melancholy. Seeing this made Syo's heart twang with a sad ache, but he was just such a chicken, he couldn't do it—he couldn't drink from Natsuki's straw.

…

Evening fell in the Master Course manor, and everyone was settling down for the night. Dinner was pretty rowdy, seeing how Cecil had spilt most of his food all over Ren and Camus, making a pretty big scene. Cecil wasn't as upset about them as much has his food that had splattered them, but they were a bit too worked up about it. They hit the showers early leading the way for everyone to follow shortly behind them, making it a short evening. Everyone said good night to Nanami pretty much all at once, leaving her flustered and a little dazed as to whom to respond to, for not everyone said the same thing. She ended up fluttering out a 'goodnight, everyone!' and bowing before leaving for the girls dorms.

Syo and Natsuki proceeded to their dorm room where their course master, Ai, would no doubt be waiting for them.

"Pretty nice day, huh?" Syo said to Natsuki, his hands behind his head as they walked.

"Yeah," Natsuki gave smile, but it didn't look sincere. Something had to be bothering him.

"Is something wrong?" Syo asked, glancing up at his best friends face. Natsuki's perfect eyebrow's furrowed, but only slightly.

"Syo-chan," There it was again, 'Syo-chan'. Natsuki once said it with such warmth and certainty, but now it seemed empty, and maddeningly sad. He had said Syo's name like that at dinner as well, but didn't finish what he wanted to say before all the commotion started. Hearing his name said like that almost always made Syo's heart leap, but now the dread of what would come after that gloomy tone was almost crushing him.

"What is it?" Syo pressed.

"I—I just want you to know that…whoa!" Natsuki's sentence was cut short by his sudden journey to the floor. He had tripped on a rug that Syo hadn't seen, and he hit the floor with a dull thud. Good thing this place was mostly carpet.

"Natsuki, are you okay?" Syo asked, looking down at his friend, who was rubbing his face. "Here, let me help you up."

Syo grabbed Natsuki's arm to assist him, but Natsuki grabbed back at him with so much force that it seemed almost intentionally rough. Without realizing it, Syo was slammed into the wall next to him, one of Natsuki's hand's pinning him to it. What the..?

Syo's eyes widened at the sight before him—looking into Natsuki's face, Syo saw that his glasses at fallen off during his tumble. Not good.

"Satsuki," Syo said, trying to keep the fear out of his voice. "What do you want?"

"I should ask you the same thing," Satsuki replied. Syo glanced down at the glasses left on the rug, too far away to reach. "I'm gonna tell you something right now: quit messing with Natsuki."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Syo said, trying to think of a way out of this. In one swift motion, Satsuki released Syo and slammed his fist into the wall next to Syo's head.

"Quit playing dumb," he spat, making Syo flinch. "I've seen the way you look at him, and the way you shy away at his touch—you love him, don't you?"

Syo's eyes widened.

"I'm always here, remember? I protect Natsuki from people that will hurt him," Satsuki was staring straight into Syo's eyes, boring holes. "From people like you."

Syo couldn't say anything—was he really hurting Natsuki that much? His sadness never showed in his actions, so maybe that's why Syo never noticed.

"So, if you don't say something about your feelings toward him, you're gonna regret it." Satsuki intoned.

"What if I don't, huh?" Syo said, sounding a bit more courageous than he felt.

"Then, you're gonna lose him, and I'm coming after you next chance I get." Satsuki said, leaning in closer to Syo's face. "Maybe this'll help you along, punk."

Before Syo knew it, Satsuki had pressed his lips against Syo's. For a moment, he tried to resist this gesture, but he soon realized that Satsuki shared the same lips with Natsuki—meaning he was technically kissing his best friend right now. This made him ease up a bit, and semi-kiss back. It took a second to realize Satsuki had pulled back from the kiss, and Syo blinked in a daze. Satsuki scoffed a bit, wiping his lip.

"I'll expect a confession some time soon." Satsuki stated, picking up Natsuki's glasses off the floor. "Remember, I'm always here."

With that, Satsuki closed his eyes, putting on Natsuki's glasses. When he opened them, Natsuki's innocent expression returned, and he glanced around curiously.

"What happened?" He asked, looking at the big hole Satsuki had punched.

"Uh," Syo was still trying to compose himself after what happened, and found himself staring at Natsuki's lips, unblinkingly. "It's a long story…let's just…er…let's go to bed."

Natsuki raised an eyebrow. "Okay…?"

Syo spun around on his heel toward their dorm room they shared with Ai, his lips still tingling from the kiss. He barely looked at Natsuki the rest of the way there, for fear he would spontaneously smash his face against Natsuki's if he so much as got a glance of him and his annoyingly cute face.

Though he longed so much to do it anyway.


	2. Buried Feelings: Chapter 2

Syo went to bed that night with a heavy heart and an occupied mind. Natsuki was back to his usual self, and was yapping on and on about how cute this thing on his phone was—(it usually helps him sleep when he goes to bed looking at cute animals and stuff).

"Look, this one looks like you, Syo-chan!" Natsuki held up his phone from the bottom bunk to let Syo see. When Syo looked at it, he saw a fluffy Pomeranian dog with its tongue sticking out.

"How the hell does that look like me!?" Syo snapped, causing Natsuki to giggle. Oh, god was he adorable.

"Shush," Ai said on the other side of the room. "I'm meditating."

"Well, sorry," Syo said, sarcastically. He laid back down, hand behind his head, thinking. He tried to quit replaying what Satsuki did and said in his head over and over, but to no avail. He continuously wondered what Natsuki wanted to tell him earlier before his run in with Satsuki. And how was _he _gonna tell Natsuki how he felt before his next rendezvous with Satsuki rolled around the corner? Who knew how long would be. Could be days, weeks, months; but an incident in which Natsuki's glasses will come off is bound to happen soon, and Syo may or may not be ready for another confrontation. Though he hoped he wouldn't have to say anything.

You see, part of Syo felt that if he kept it secret long enough, they'd disappear one day, his feelings for his best friend, and everything would go back to the way it used to be. But another part of Syo knew that was total bull-crap, knowing full well that feelings this strong wouldn't just 'go away' on their own. They would have to be faced, and released sometime, and Syo didn't know when. He hated not knowing when.

Syo groaned, shoving his pillow over his face. He also hated this cycle of waking up everyday, loving Natsuki more and more with each passing second he was around him. Heck, even if he wasn't around him, he was still thinking about him—his hair glinting in the sunshine, the way he interacts with others, his handsome face lighting up whenever he caught Syo's eye, and the sheer amount of care he puts into every little thing he does. It was immensely beguiling.

"Alright," Ai said, interrupting Syo's thoughts. "I'm calling lights out. It's after nine, so I let you two stay up later than scheduled."

Ai stood and made his way to the light switch on the wall, flicking it off.

"Good night," He said.

"Good night," Natsuki and Syo responded simultaneously.

Syo rolled to his side, noticing the faint glow of Natsuki's phone. Syo then turned his attention to the clock on their night-stand. He waited until Natsuki shut off his phone, which took a good ten minutes and counting, and then waited even longer for Natsuki to fall asleep.

When Natsuki's breathing became slow, and even, and Syo was assured that Natsuki was asleep, he climbed down from his bed, silently. He proceeded to remove Natsuki's glasses, so he could sleep more comfortably. When Syo slid them off his face, Natsuki rubbed his eye, moaning a bit, then rolled over on his back.

Syo's body wiggled all over—why was he _so _dang _cute_?

Syo stood and watched him for a second—this was always his favorite part of staying up until Natsuki snoozed happily, being able to see Natsuki's eyes free of his glasses. He always liked it when Natsuki didn't wear his glasses, though every time he doesn't now, Syo gets someone completely different. But, way back before Satsuki showed up, Syo always admired how big and wonderful Natsuki's eyes were when his glasses were off. They were just big, green, orbs of curiosity and love, and still are, but, they're now observed behind a thin sheet of glass, which kind of obscures them.

After a moment, Syo did something _he_ didn't even expect. He leaned forward and pecked Natsuki's forehead. Syo blinked in surprise at his actions, but shook them off with a huff and a ruffle of his hair. He climbed back up in his bed, ready to wake up a bit earlier than his taller companion to place his spectacles back on his face once again.

Syo covered himself with his blanket, and drifted off to sleep, preserving the warm feeling that Natsuki's skin had left on his lips when he touched them to it. It was enchanting being that close to Natsuki, and Syo had to resist the urge to lick his lips before falling asleep that evening.

…

When hearing the words 'fall asleep', Syo thinks about actually going to sleep, and waking up in the morning without knowing you had. But sleep didn't apply to him that night, for Syo started to have a dream that prevented his needed slumber.

In the dream, Syo had taken Natsuki with him out of sight of their friends, just around the corner of a building to cover where they were. They were playing hide and seek, something he hadn't played since he was a little kid, and Natsuki and he were giggling together, attempting not to make one little peep.

But their efforts were futile.

Syo shushed Natsuki, putting a finger to his lips.

"Quiet!" He hissed. They had only hidden around fifty feet from where Cecil was counting, just to try and trick him, because no one usually hides this close to the one who is 'it'. Syo glanced around the corner of the wall, and saw that Cecil had gone in the opposite direction of them—good. There was a chance they'd be last ones found.

"Syo-chan," Syo heard Natsuki behind him.

"Yeah, wha-" Syo turned, and found himself, pleasantly, embraced in Natsuki's arms. It wasn't like the other times when he was tackled and forcibly squeezed to death—it was earnest, gentle, and tender. Natsuki moved his head down, so his mouth was right next to Syo's ear.

"I love you, Syo-chan," He whispered, and Syo's entire being felt like it was glowing. His belly was warm and fluttering—he had never in his life thought he'd hear these words presented to him in this manner—let alone from his dear friend, Natsuki.

"Would it be alright, do you think," Natsuki pulled away a bit. "If I could…kiss you, Syo-chan?"

Syo didn't get a chance to respond before Natsuki pushed his lips against his. The suddenness of this action made Syo shoot up straight in bed, panting. His face was burning with pure self-embarrassment. He placed a hand on his head, cursing. Now he was having dreams about it? Syo thought his sleeping was the only place he could be away from his problems—at least for a while.

Syo clambered down from his bed. It was three in the morning, his throat was dry, he needed water, and there was no way he was going back to sleep yet. He opened the door out of his dorm, concentrating on not looking at Natsuki, who was still sleeping, and slipped out.

Syo slumped down the long hallways to the stairs, and continued on his way to the kitchen. He rubbed his heavy eyes, yawning. How much longer could he keep this charade up? Maybe he could try and talk to Nanami about it tomorrow—no doubt it would be better then slowly drowning in his feelings. Yes, that does sound right. Nanami would be Syo's lifeboat in his sea of emotion, and she would help him reach the shore where he would finally be dry, and free.

Syo glided around the corner to the kitchen and flicked on the light. There he found a sight he thought he'd never see.

Otoya and Nanami—kissing-up a storm on the kitchen's island; first of all: what?

They quickly parted, both he and Nanami trying to sputter out an excuse, but Syo held up a hand to stop them, and they quickly silenced.

"Okay, you first," Syo pointed at Otoya, whose face was so red you could hardly tell the difference between his skin and his hair anymore.

"W-well, I was just—getting a snack, because I was hungry," Otoya started in. "And then Nanami walked in, which surprised me, and I asked her what she was doing, and she told me she usually comes to get a snack in the middle of the night because she gets the 'munchies' and I said, 'hey, so do I!', and we were making sandwiches and one thing led to another, and then—"

Syo held up his hand again. He looked at Nanami.

"Um…" She looked down at a bread wrapper on the counter she was sitting on and started poking at it.

"Well, c'mon, I want an excuse," Syo stated. He put a finger to his chin, resting his elbow on his hand inquisitively. "I could've sworn there was a rule against romance… and I also could've sworn I saw you with Ichinose the first time this happened, but…"

"I-I am! But," Nanami looked around frantically, stuttering.

"It's my fault, I shouldn't have done that, I should've know better I'm," He paused, rubbing his head sheepishly. "I think I'll, um…go back to bed…"

Otoya shuffled past Syo, Syo glaring at him angrily every step he took. He waved a little at Nanami, his eyes gazing dreamily at her, then, hurried back to the room he shared with Ichinose. Oh, boy if he found out…

Syo turned his attention back to Nanami who had slid down off the counter, looking as dazed and confused as usual. Her pearly eyes glanced around at the mess they'd made making their 'sandwiches', and started cleaning it up.

Syo stepped over to grab a cup out of the cupboard. He filled it with water, and gulped it down as he watched Nanami out of the corner of his eye. She looked extremely distraught. No, Syo was not upset or disappointed in her because, like Syo himself, Nanami was just as lost as he was, having five or six boys all over her like she was the only girl left on the planet can do a lot to a girls mental health—though Syo's situation was a little different, his problem lacking the 'boy liking him' part.

Syo set his glass down next to Nanami, and leaned on the counter. He glanced up at her, and she did her best not to look at him, her face still tinted pink. Syo cleared his throat.

"You're actually the one I wanted to talk to," He remarked, causing her to take a glimpse up at him.

"Is something wrong?" She inquired. Syo chuckled a bit.

"You could say that."

Syo started telling Nanami about his problem, starting with Natsuki wanting to tell him something, then Satsuki showing up and telling him he knew about Syo's feelings toward Natsuki, (excluding the part where they kissed), and how Satsuki threatened him, and explained that he was now having dreams about his feelings for Natsuki, (again excluding the kissing part, though he wasn't sure why; maybe he was a little ashamed?)

"Oh, goodness," Nanami said, looking semi-grateful that the subject was off her. "Seems you've got yourself into a big situation here."

"Yeah," Syo responded, half-heartedly. He was swirling the remainder of his water around in his glass, watching as it settled back down slowly to the bottom.

"Well, maybe…" Nanami thought for a second. Then she gasped a little. "I have the perfect idea!"

"What?"

The idea that Nanami pitched to him was interesting, and it sounded like it just might work in his favor.

"I can even help you with it if you like?" Nanami offered.

"Yeah, that'll be great!" Syo replied. He sat up straight, and stepped over to give Nanami a hug. It was the perfect idea. "Thank you, Nanami." Syo pulled away. "Maybe when we work this out, I can help you with your problem, too."

Nanami giggled. "I don't know if _you _alone can, but it would be nice to have some consolation."

"Alright," Syo patted her shoulder, and after a moment of silence, she said:

"I think I'll go to bed now,"

"Yeah, I think so too," Syo said glancing at the clock. It had been almost an hour since he'd woken up from his dream. That time seemed a million years ago, for now he had a bit of a solution, though it would be a little difficult to put in motion…he'd have to find a way to get with Nanami everyday to help move the plan along, and he wasn't sure how well that would go over with Natsuki.

Before Syo climbed up back into his bed, he looked down at Natsuki, and for the first time in a long time, he gave a genuine smile toward him. Syo's heart felt a little less knotted after his talk with Nanami, and he couldn't wait until this was all over and resolved. And for Syo, falling back to sleep that night didn't take as long as he predicted.


	3. Buried Feelings: Chapter 3

A week had passed after Syo's run in with Nanami in the kitchen that fateful night, and their work on the plan to tell Natsuki how Syo felt was well on its way to finished. Natsuki did seem a little upset whenever Syo would go off with Nanami somewhere, and it always made Syo's heart ache to see his friend look at him that way, loneliness glittering in his beautiful green eyes. Syo kept repeating to himself that, it would only be a little while longer, so his sad faces and lonely auras would soon disappear, along with the wall in between them.

After another long evening of work on Syo's confession passed, Syo became more and more tired. He was pouring all his heart into this project to make sure everything was perfect, so that sucked the energy right out of him.

At 7:42pm, Syo slunk though the door to the dorm he shared with Natsuki and Ai, only to be attacked by something strong, warm, and giant.

"Syo-chan!" Natsuki wailed, squishing Syo deep into his chest. "I've missed you so much! Why do you have to leave me so long?"

"You're—killing…me!" Syo squeaked.

"I've already re-watched every episode of Piyo-chan in Space, and I don't know what else to do!" He whined, and shoved his face into Syo neck.

"Don't..worry..about it—" Syo choked, "I'm here now," Syo gasped in a breath when Natsuki released him to look him in the face. A big smile broke across Natsuki's wonderful face, making Syo's heart melt. He wasn't sure what Natsuki was smiling about, but whatever it was, it made him happy, so it made Syo happy.

"So, what do you want to do?" Syo asked, after he caught his breath.

"I want you to be quiet," Ai retorted from the corner. "I'm reading."

"Yeah, okay, but I wasn't asking you," Syo responded. "It's Saturday, so we don't have any work tomorrow—wanna play video games or watch a movie?"

"Oh, yeah, that would be fun!" Natsuki smiled. God, he was so freaking pleasant. Natsuki let out a sudden gasp. "We could make a sleep-over tent!"

Ai groaned softly in the corner, his head leaning farther back as the noise rattled on. Syo ignored him

"Well, yeah, I guess we could," Syo rubbed the back of his head. "We'd need some cushions, and blankets…"

"Of course!" Natsuki spun around in a circle, cheering. "Yay! Finally some fun with my little Syo-chan!"

"Oi, tone it down with the 'little' stuff, would ya?" Though Syo honestly didn't mind—he just wanted to keep up appearances. On the inside, Syo was leaping happily into the sunset. Seeing Natsuki this happy was fulfilling, to say the least, and Syo felt like he could all but touch the sky.

Natsuki and Syo began gathering cushions and blankets, and stacking them in front of the television. Ai kept nagging them about keep the cushions 'straight', and 'balancing' it so it wouldn't 'fall on top of them', but Syo only half-listened. When they finished, Syo went down stairs to make some popcorn, while Natsuki picked out the movie. They didn't bring that many with them to the manor, so their options were limited to Syo's favorite movies, featuring his number-one action hero, Natsuki's Piyo the Movie, and a couple others.

"What did you choose?" Syo asked when he returned, and Natsuki held up the movie. "Whaaa?" Syo intoned. "You really want to watch 'The Asylum'? Isn't that supposed to be, like, really scary? Where did you even get this?"

"Ai gave it to me!" Natsuki smiled. "He says it's one of his favorites, and the plot twist is really good!"

Syo glanced over at their instructor, who was now sitting on a chair next to their sleep-over tent, eating the popcorn Syo had just made. "If you're gonna make a mess of my room, we watch what I want," Ai nodded for Syo to put the disc in. Syo was reluctant, because he and scary movies did not agree so well—but, if that's what the night called for…

Syo placed the DVD in the slot, and after a bit of struggling with how to play it, the movie started at the title screen where Syo then selected 'play movie'.

It sucked from the very beginning.

Not only was it gory and terrifying right from the get-go, there was a jump-scare even before the title of the movie showed up during the film.

Syo and Natsuki sat in their sleep-over tent, pillows behind them and a blanket to share—just like old-times. Although, Syo tried to ignore the fact Natsuki and he were going to sleep together…side by side…in a confined space, where they would mostly be unintentionally touching…

A bottle falling and smashing in the movie caused Syo to jump, and his thoughts to scatter. With every little scare, and build-up, Syo kept mindlessly getting closer and closer to Natsuki. Natsuki didn't seem to notice until Syo jumped and let out a little yelp that, in turn, made Natsuki yelp.

Syo tried to resist the urge of clinging, arms and legs, to Natsuki. Though it was hard, Syo settled for his pillow, clinging, arms and legs, to that instead.

"Oh, this is my favorite part," Ai pointed out, sharing the popcorn bowl with Natsuki, which he took, eyes glued to the screen. Syo didn't want to look anymore. The suspenseful music, pared with the creepy ambience, and overall unsettling plot made Syo want to vomit. He glanced up at Natsuki whom was all but entranced with the T.V. His eyes were opened wide, watching for every movement on the screen. It occurred to Syo that scary movies had never bothered Natsuki ever since he was eight. Before that, Natsuki would hide behind Syo, and Syo would have to put on a brave face, though he was probably shaking. They didn't watch that many scary movies when they were younger, but when they did, all Syo could remember was hating them.

Now, seeing Natsuki watch a scary movie barely flinching, brought a thought to Syo's mind: could it be that when Satsuki showed up, Natsuki sort of…merged with a bit of his steeliness?

Bringing on the thought of Satsuki sent a hot shiver up Syo. It traveled from one end of his spine, up to the top and found its way to his cheeks. Syo shoved his face into the pillow he was crushing into himself. Over the past week he'd been trying so hard to forget his run in with Satsuki, and every time he'd thought he had forgotten it, it crept back into his mind once again. The way Satsuki kissed him, and the way Syo kissed him back. And with that thought coming back, his 'I don't knows' were sure to follow. He still didn't know how Natsuki felt about him, he still didn't know what Natsuki was trying to tell him, and he didn't know what would happen the next time Satsuki visited.

A loud noise and screaming coming from the movie made Syo jump. Even though he wasn't really watching, Syo was lost in his thoughts, and that violently snapped him back to reality. He looked up to find that the main character, John, was killed and he had no idea how it happened.

He watched as it paned into John's dead eyes, and then out John's alive ones—he was still only just inside the asylum, standing in the front doorway. John was having a vision the whole time; A premonition.

Natsuki let out a gasp, then an exasperated groan.

"See, wasn't it good?" Ai said, sitting forward to shut off the end credits.

"Yeah, but, is there a second one? Are they making another?" Natsuki asked, donning his Piyo night-cap. (Yes, he does have one of those.)

"Afraid not," Ai replied. "The movie didn't kick off as well as they'd hoped, so, the company producing it gave up on making a second one, though the script was already written."

"Aww!" Natsuki whined. He turned to Syo, who had now loosened his grip on the pillow. "What did you think, Syo-chan? You were pretty scared!"

"I was not!" Syo protested, pouting.

"Oh yes, you were!" Natsuki chided, reaching out to grab him. Syo leaned away from Natsuki's gesture, but was quickly tackled into a hug. "It's okay, Syo-chan! We were all scared!"

"Gak!" Syo grunted. "Get off me! I was not!"

After a bit of struggling Syo found himself pinned to the floor of their sleep-over tent, Natsuki over him, smiling and giggling. Syo was blushing furiously, and he blushed even more so realizing what kind of position he was in.

"Would you get off!" Syo said, wriggling a bit.

"Why, Syo-chan, what's the matter?" Natsuki asked, completely innocent. Syo would like to keep it that way, so he didn't know what to say. Until he heard Ai speak from his right, outside their tent.

"You two would make such a cute couple, wouldn't you?"

These words rang through Syo's ears, and for a long moment Natsuki and Syo stared at each other, eyes wide with disbelief. Syo tried to figure out if he had heard his instructor correctly. A cute…couple?

Natsuki sat back to look out the tent at Ai, not saying a word. Syo thought for sure that Natsuki was going to chew him out for saying such weird things, for 'he had a crush on Haru-chan!' or 'there was no way would he ever be couples with Syo-chan, they were just best buddies!', but, instead, he said something that shocked Syo to the core.

"You really think so?" He smiled out at Ai.

"Oh, yeah," Ai replied. "Definitely."

"What!?" Syo squeaked, propping himself up on his elbows, for Natsuki was still sitting on his legs. "No way!"

"Aw, Syo-chan's getting all flustered!" Natsuki smiled. "So cute!"

"What? No! I'm not cute!" Syo sighed, irritably. "Ah, just, never mind! Would you get off me already?"

Natsuki blinked, and looked down as if just now realizing he was sitting on Syo. He let out a small apology, and scooted off. Syo sat up completely, crossing his short legs.

"Well, we all should go to bed." Ai said, glancing at his watch. "It's past nine, which means past bedtime." Ai stood, and crossed the room to his bed. "Get your bed set up, alright?" Ai glanced over at them for a second, expectantly.

"Alright," Natsuki replied. He then turned his attention back to Syo, smiling, Syo's favorite dimples appearing to remind him how much he wanted Natsuki. "Syo chan, let's arrange the pillows and blankets!"

Syo grunted a response, then moved to grab the pillows and blankets behind him. They proceeded to place the extra pillows underneath them as cushions, and laid a padded blanket over top of the pillows. All that was running through Syo's mind as they worked was the fact the he was going to be sleeping right next to Natsuki, so close they would touch, share a blanket, and, as if Syo wasn't lucky enough, Natsuki was one of the _biggest _cuddlers' in the _world_. He will literally cling to anything that is near him while he's asleep, and won't let go until he rolls over or something. Syo was in for it tonight.

"There, that looks about right," Natsuki said, once they finished. They sat outside for a second, looking into the tent silently. Syo wasn't sure what was going through Natsuki's mind, but Syo's was reeling, and his heart was beating rapidly. After another few seconds of silent staring, Natsuki crawled into the tent and lay down on the left side, shuffling his way under the covers, and cuddling his Piyo plushy. He smiled up and Syo, and patted the right side of the bed, inviting Syo to lie next to him.

Syo took a deep breath.

_It's okay, _He thought to himself. _We've done this plenty of times before—what's so different about this time?_

Syo's mind countered with: _Well, you were, like, ten the last time you did this. And on top of that, you're having thoughts that you've never had about Natsuki, and dreams, and you kissed him and—_

Syo shook his head, stopping his thought train in its tracks, and resisted the urge to run away screaming. It'll be fine. Syo leaned forward, and began to crawl into the tent. He scrambled under the covers, next to Natsuki, whom was smiling at him, mind-numbingly precious. Syo tried to avoid eye contact by lying on his back, looking up at their blanket roof that dipped inward a little.

"It's nice, huh?" Natsuki said next to him, breaking the silence like the sun breaking up clouds. "We haven't made one of these in forever."

"Yeah," Syo responded, still not looking at Natsuki. "It is nice."

"I've missed hanging with my Syo-chan," Natsuki said, and Syo could almost hear the smile in his voice, and feel Natsuki's eyes on him.

"Lights out," Ai informed them, and shortly after, flicking them off. Syo cleared his throat.

"Yeah, I have too," He semi-whispered, replying to what Natsuki just said.

"Good night, Syo-chan." Natsuki said, quietly.

"Good night," Syo responded.


	4. Buried Feelings: Chapter 4

The night proceeded like many other nights, with Syo staying up later than Natsuki to remove his glasses when he fell asleep. Syo would then wake up earlier than Natsuki to place them back on his lovely and delicate face about an hour before they alarm would go off on Ai's clock at nine. Syo originally would set his own alarm, but his body made a special one. Upon occasion, his internal alarm would sound only minutes before the actual alarm would go off, and Syo would have to act swiftly—but this was not one of those occasions, thankfully.

You may wonder why Natsuki keeps his glasses on when he falls asleep, and not just takes them off himself before he goes to bed. The answer to that would be because Syo made him swear not to take his glasses off when he goes to bed, and because Syo was so serious, Natsuki kept his promise. Syo, at one point in time, was not a very clever person, and had his first sleep over with Natsuki and Satsuki together. It didn't occur to him then that when Natsuki went to bed, he'd have to take his glasses off and that's when Satsuki showed up and punched Syo square in the jaw—Syo learned his lesson quickly.

That morning, Syo woke up to Natsuki peaceful face right in front of his. After a moment, Syo smiled a bit, and then sat up to look out their sleep-over tent. It was forty-five minutes until nine. Syo had a ton of time. Did he say his inner clock was accurate? Nope…

Syo lay back down next to Natsuki, gazing into his face. He lay there for most of the time he had left, watching Natsuki as he slept, counting how many seconds passed by between his inhale, and exhale. It was around eight seconds. Natsuki always did this weird thing where he would scrunch his face occasionally, and moan a bit when he was dreaming, and that's what Syo was waiting intently for.

As Syo waited to see the precious moment when Natsuki's face scrunched, he observed Natsuki's face carefully, taking in every detail that he had memorized over and over. The morning light brought a beautiful glow to it that lit up those detail, and made Syo smile.

Syo let out a small, almost silent gasp. There it was—Natsuki scrunched up his nose and squeezed his eyes tighter, letting a little moan. Syo heart was beating a million miles a second, and nearly stopped when he heard Natsuki start mumbling.

"S...Syo...chan…" He muttered, groggily. Syo's eyes widened. Was he dreaming about him, or, just waking up?

Before he knew it, Syo was pulled into Natsuki's warm body, being cuddled by his sleepy hopefully-soon-to-be-more-than-just-best-friends, friend. Natsuki nuzzled Syo's head, squeezing him gently, and sighing contentedly. Was he still asleep…? Right now, Syo didn't really care; all he wanted was to stay in that spot, Natsuki holding him in a warm embrace, forever. He never wanted the alarm to go off, he just wanted linger in Natsuki's arms, until the amounts of love for his best friend became clear in Natsuki's heart, and Syo wouldn't have to say anything. But that was all in due time.

Syo wiggled out of Natsuki, and sat up, losing the feeling of warmth that Natsuki gave off, like a safe haven.

It was five to nine, and Syo, slightly reluctant, placed Natsuki's glasses on his face. Syo then lay back down, and rolled over, resting his eyes. He waited for the alarm to sound. Syo's mind wouldn't leave where he had been just a minute ago, no matter how much Syo tried. After a few painful moments of wallowing in the remainder of Natsuki's fondle, the shrill beeping of the alarm filled his ears, causing him to cringe and grind his teeth.

Natsuki moaned next to him, and shuffled around. Syo started to sit up, but was grabbed, and quickly pulled down by none other than Natsuki. He started squeezing Syo roughly, nearly crushing him once again.

"Ah, good morning, Syo-chan!" Natsuki smiled, releasing the smaller boy. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah," Syo said, straitening his t-shirt, a little annoyed. Even when Natsuki just wakes up he's still as pleasant as ever. He really wasn't aware of what he did about an hour ago. Syo paused when he heard Natsuki giggle.

"Syo-chan, your hair is a mess," Natsuki said reaching for it. "So cute!"

"It is not!" Syo snapped. "Sheesh, you always know which buttons to push." He almost-mumbled, messing with his hair.

"What?"

"Nothing," Syo crawled out from the tent. He had to get ready to meet up with Nanami—this was probably gonna be their last meeting before…

Syo's stomach knotted in fear. Was it really that close to being time already? Nanami and he had previously set a date and plan for the confession, and Syo hadn't realized it was coming so soon. He'd have to work hard today and fix any weak point in the project by later this afternoon.

Natsuki scooted out of the tent after Syo, and said his good mornings to Ai before proceeding to get dressed. Syo had to resist the urge to look as Natsuki removed one article of clothing after another, right down to his socks. Syo took a peek while Natsuki's back was turned. His pale skin was so inviting that Syo just wanted to kiss it all over. No, no, no—back to your own clothes, worry about that later.

When Syo was dressed, he hopped up, and made his way to the door. "I'll see you guys later—I've got an appointment with Nanami, and I don't want to be late."

This caused Natsuki to look up, looking a little upset.

"Why, what are you doing, Syo-chan?" Natsuki asked, adjusting his glasses a bit.

"Well, i-it's a secret," Syo responded. Natsuki looked down at the floor, as if blaming it for something. Syo paused seeing this reaction from Natsuki, and for a moment, thought he shouldn't go. But he couldn't miss the last session. Everything had to be perfect.

"I'll see you guys later then," Syo said, abruptly, the continued out the door. When he was almost to the stairs, he heard a familiar voice call after him.

"Syo-chan!" Natsuki called, causing Syo to turn. Syo tilted his head at his friend, questions forming on his face.

"Syo-chan, I want to know—why are you always going off with Haru-chan?" Natsuki voice trembled, as though he was about to cry. He kept his head low, as if trying to hide his face. "You're avoiding me—brushing my hugs off, and always squirming away from my touch. And I want to know—is it because you love her? Is it because, you don't want to hurt me when you tell me you're secretly dating Haru-chan? Why are you always leaving me, Syo-chan?"

Natsuki semi-shouted the last part, looking up at Syo, tears streaming down his face. Natsuki cupped his face into his hands. "You even missed our lunch on this past Thursday…" He sobbed. Syo couldn't speak; all he could do was stand there, dumb struck, his heart being stabbed into smaller pieces with every word that came from Natsuki's mouth.

Natsuki mumbled something that Syo couldn't make out, then turned to head back into their dorm, sniffling.

"It's okay, Syo-chan," Natsuki grumbled, a little angrier than sad now. "You can go meet-up with Haru-chan. If that's what you really want."

"No, I—" Syo tried, but his words were cut-off by the slamming of the door. For the first time, Syo noticed there were a few others standing in the hallway, halfway dressed, with toothbrushes in their mouths—some of the other members of STARISH. Syo darted down the stairs before they could ask anything, tears welling in his eyes.

_I made Natsuki cry. It's my fault. I hurt him, _ran through his mind until his entire body was numb with the idea. He ran to the music room he was working with Haruka in and slammed the door open, causing the brilliant composer to jump, and drop a few things to the floor that scatted in every direction. Syo's face was wet with tears, as he caught his breath, determination building up inside his little body. He looked up at Haruka, who looked scared and concerned for Syo, but Syo paid no mind to that.

"Nanami," He said. "We have to do it—today."

"T-today?" She inquired, tentatively. "But, you yourself said it wasn't perfect yet, and you wanted to do the finishing touches today—"

"I don't care what I said!" Syo was involuntarily raising his voice. He stepped closer to Nanami, shutting the door. "We have to do it today…otherwise, I'm going to lose it…otherwise, I'm going to lose him—forever."

Nanami looked a bit startled by what Syo said, but gave a small, reassuring smile. She grabbed onto Syo's upper-arms gently, and looked him in the eye happily. "Don't worry Syo-kun. We'll do it today. And it'll be wonderful. You won't lose him, I promise."

Syo gave a weak smile, and then took a deep breath, wiping the tears from his face. His confidence grew, and he stood up a bit straighter, still sniffling. He offered a bigger smile. "Okay."


	5. Buried Feelings: Chapter 5

As 4:30 rolled around the corner, the sky started getting darker—rain clouds were forming, threatening to ruin all of Syo's hard work. Nanami had asked if they should wait until it clears, but Syo was ready now, and nothing was going to stop him; not even the weather.

Syo flipped out his phone and texted Ai to bring Natsuki down to the back-yard gazebo. He received a reply he really didn't want.

**Ai: **Well, I'll try to convince him. He's a little busy you know—crying.

Syo tutted, smashing in a reply.

**Syo: **UNECESSARY.

**Syo: **Just bring him down would ya?

Ai didn't respond, so he assumed that meant he was trying to persuade Natsuki into coming down to the backyard. Maybe he'd tell him a nice walk would help, or maybe tell him that Syo had a surprise—but, that actually might decrease his chances of coming down. Natsuki was probably still as mad as when Syo left him, which irked him. There was no way he was just letting this go. Not because of bad weather, not because Natsuki wasn't coming down, heck, Syo would even march up there to tell him if he had to. But he hoped his plan would be enough.

Nanami walked up next to Syo.

"Everything's ready," She said, glancing at the rain clouds that covered the sky. "I sure hope the rain waits."

But, with that being said, the sky gave them a nice slap in the face. The sprinkles started slowly, and eventually formed into pitter-patters of large rain drops. It's a good thing their equipment was in the gazebo, and not out in the open.

Nanami and Syo ran under the gazebo to stay dry, and were quickly joined by Otoya, who was carrying his guitar.

"What are you doing here?" Syo asked, confused. He didn't ask Otoya to come, and he sure as heck didn't want him here when Natsuki came. If, Natsuki came.

"Nanami wanted me to play guitar for the…song?" Otoya half-claimed, half-asked.

Syo turned to Nanami, red in the face. Some of it out of embarrassment, and some anger. Nanami gave a weak smile. He then turned back to Otoya, who was looking innocently at them. "Yeah, it's a song, you caught me." He sighed a bit. No point in hiding it anymore—everyone was gonna know soon enough.

"What's the song?" Otoya asked, and Nanami gave a short answer.

"A love confession," Nanami said, with a sweet smile. Syo, on the other hand, was not smiling. He was cringing, left and right, his only thoughts about singing this in front of Otoya, let alone Natsuki. The song was a love song, and Syo didn't typically write those. Not really his style, to say the least.

"And anyway, I don't know how you're going to play, we didn't even write music for guitar, right?" Syo asked Nanami, who gave another bashful smile.

"I thought it would sound better with a guitar," She stated, handing Otoya some sheet music. Syo blinked, a little stunned.

"And you couldn't have consulted me first!?" Syo fussed, waving his hands around.

"It's okay, I don't mind," Otoya said, offering a smile. "I'd love to help!"

"I didn't ask!" Syo snapped. His anxiousness was getting to him faster now. His worry that Natsuki wouldn't show, piled with the idea that he actually would, and made Syo's head spin, and heart skip. Syo apologized to Otoya, shortly, saying he was just nervous. Otoya conveyed that he understood the feeling, and then sat down on a stool to read over the music and lyrics.

"These lyrics are really good," Otoya commented.

"Yeah," Syo replied half-heartedly. Nanami stepped over, also commenting on the lyrics, saying that they were amazing, (which, Syo didn't really see how that could be true) and gave Otoya a few pointers on how to play the notes to go along with Syo's voice, and the small amount of piano she would play in a repetitive tune to go along with that. Syo was only partly listening to their conversation, their chatting kind of distorting as Syo thought. He paced a bit, back and forth, contemplating the odds of things actually getting worse. And for some reason, his contemplation was answered ever so suddenly, when the rest of STARISH and Ai rolled their way out one of the back doors from the manor. Syo was about to collapse. Why were they here? It was probably the only way to get Natsuki out there—Ai had a little problem with expression, and having the other members there probably made Natsuki feel better. Syo assumed they knew what was going on, so there was no point in holding back anymore.

They all gathered near the gazebo, rain pouring down on their umbrella's, leading Natsuki with them. Natsuki stayed over on the left side of the group, as if he did want to be seen. He looked a mess, but seeing him gave Syo some reassurance that maybe Natsuki didn't hate him after all—although, he wasn't looking at Syo. He cleared his throat, looking at everyone's expectant faces.

"Ready?" Syo asked, throat a little dry. It was nice that his friends were here to support him, but they didn't really need to do it now.

Nanami switched on her piano, and nodded at Syo, giving a reassuring and encouraging smile. Syo took a deep breath, waiting for Nanami's piano to start. After the first couple notes, Otoya joined in, and that was Syo's cue to start singing.

_Tell me if you feel the same way,_

_Cause I can't handle this silence,_

_Between us any longer cause,_

_You_

_Are always on my mind, and I_

_Need to hear you say_

The music paused a moment, as Syo held onto the last note, elongating the word. Otoya's guitar started, he carefully reading the music, as not to mess up. If he had, Syo wouldn't have noticed, for something else was occupying his mind.

_You feel the same,_

_You fuel this flame,_

_When you say my name,_

_I don't want a change,_

_I cannot engage,_

_With the claim, _

_That you weren't the one that came,_

_When I needed you,_

_Right now I do,_

_And up I flew,_

_My heart askew,_

_To say the truth,_

_That I do-o-o-o love you_

Nanami was right, Otoya's guitar was going perfectly with the song.

_I do, I do_

Syo was looking Natsuki in the face, gazing, in an almost trace-like state, into his eyes. Natsuki was smiling up at Syo, still looking a little shaken, but his face gradually became more and more calm, and pure, with a happy smile that brought out his dimples.

_Didn't know I was superman,_

_Until I fell to my knees,_

_Weakened, at your feet,_

_You should know that,_

_Your face is my sky,_

_And your eyes, your eyes,_

_Are my kryptonite_

_And did you know that,_

Syo became more and more comfortable singing, for even though the other members of STARISH were right there, clapping along with the song, Syo was only transfixed on one person in particular, making everything easy, like he usually did. Syo sang the chorus one more time, Natsuki stepping closer, out of the roof of umbrellas and into the rain. It didn't seem to bother him though, he was smiling and giggling so much, that Syo wanted to stop the song right there and just kiss him. When Syo finished the chorus, he moved to the bridge. The music slowed, giving way to a softer tune.

_And I know it's hard to take,_

_But I know you're no mistake,_

_Baby, what we have is fate,_

_And I hope it's not too late,_

_If you're a dream, then I don't want to wake_

Syo sang the chorus again, the music almost completely gone, the piano down to a few notes every line, and the guitar strummed slowly. The chorus was even sung quieter at this point, then picking up a bit during the middle.

_That I do-o-o-o love you_

The music slows to a stop after the last line of the chorus is sung, and Syo smiles, looking down a bit (the gazebo being elevated), at Natsuki.

_And I want this forever,_

_And I know we'll be together,_

_Cause now I'm a big believer…_

_In true love…_

The song ends with the last teetering notes off the piano, and one last, soft strum from Otoya's guitar.

After a moment of cheering and clapping, Syo stepped down the steps of the gazebo, toward where Natsuki was standing. He may have had tears in his eyes, but it was hard to tell from all the rain that was pouring down around them. The rain had gotten harder when Syo had finished his song, and he was sure everyone would start running in after the wind picked up. But everyone stayed where they were, as though waiting for something. Natsuki's had his fingers intertwined in front of him, as he looked at Syo with so much happiness in his eyes.

"Syo-chan, do you really feel this way about me?" Natsuki asked loudly, as to be heard over the loud rain. He stepped a little closer, his feet squishing on the wet ground.

"Well, yeah," Syo replied just as loud, rubbing the back of his neck, bashfully.

"And...this must be why you kept leaving with Nanami everyday, right?" Natsuki inquired, moving another step closer. Syo nodded, his face hot. Natsuki's eyes lit up, and he grabbed Syo to hug him. No, he did not crush him, or squeeze him or choke him-he held him; gently, there wet clothes melting together because the down poor had soaked them through.

There was cheering coming from the rest of the STARISH crew.

"I take it that you liked it?" Syo questioned Natsuki, returning the hug. Natsuki chuckled a bit.

"Liked it?" Natsuki said, pulling away from Syo. "Syo-chan, I..."

Natsuki paused, looking into Syo's eyes. Syo could tell there was so much he wanted to say, and Syo felt this warm feeling inflating inside him like a balloon. His butterflies were back and here to stay, for the next thing that happened surprised him the most.

Natsuki jammed his face into Syo's, very suddenly. So suddenly, in fact, Natsuki and Syo's teeth clacked together, causing pain to shoot through them, but Syo didn't care. Natsuki and he were finally kissing—something Syo dreamed of and fantasized over and over again. But this kiss was not like the one's he envisioned; it was a sloppy, wet, spur-of-the-moment, mess—and Syo wouldn't have it any other way.

Syo rested a hand on Natsuki's, whose was on Syo's cheek. As Syo deepened the kiss, the cheering grew louder from their friends. He could hear Nanami loudest, and could tell a few of them were jumping up and down going by the loud sloshing noise.

As they embraced, Syo thought back on all the times he had wanted this, and poured all that unsatisfied desire into that very tender and wonderful moment that he was sharing with his best friend. All the time's Syo had stopped to stare at Natsuki, or all the times Syo missed the opportunity to kiss the big cutie. And all the unforgettable moments he shared with him—it was all there in that one moment that Syo would remember most of all. The rain may have been cold that afternoon, but Natsuki was Syo's sunshine; and he needn't mind the rain anymore.


End file.
